


Dragon Drabbles

by The_Devil_In_The_Details_666



Series: All The Batfam BS [96]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Parents Jack and Janet Drake, Because he deserves one, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Child Neglect, Crack, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dick Grayson has big brother instincts and is trying his best, Dick Grayson is So Done, Dragon Tim Drake, Fluff, Gen, Hypothermia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Napping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sleepy Tim Drake, Tim Drake Gets a Hug, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:16:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29973777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Devil_In_The_Details_666/pseuds/The_Devil_In_The_Details_666
Summary: Tim is a tiny dragon.Jason is half phoenix.Can I make it any more obvious?
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Series: All The Batfam BS [96]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1514906
Comments: 29
Kudos: 238





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So. Y’all really like Tim as a tiny dragon, huh? 1TitanGirl petitioned for more tiny dragon Tim, so here you go.
> 
> My Tumblr is The-Devil-In-The-Details-666 if anyone wants to come say hello! I love hearing from y'all.

When Jason and Tim were first looking for a place to live together, the first thing they could agree on was that it needed a fireplace. Jason, being part phoenix, liked to curl up next to the fire while he was grooming his feathers or just relaxing. 

Tim, being a dragon, liked to curl up  _ in _ the fire. 

And so, they looked and looked until they found an apartment with an enormous stone fireplace, one that was big enough for Jason to stretch out in front of and Tim to curl up in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason loved the fireplace. They had bought a comfy rug that was placed in front of it and Jason spent most nights after patrol sprawled out on the rug, wings folded comfortably as he relaxed. It was wonderful and amazing and everything that Jason had spent his childhood daydreaming about. 

Tim, too, had fallen in love with the fireplace, curling up right in the heart of the flames whenever they lit it and purring loudly enough to rattle the fireplace cover. It wasn’t uncommon for Jason to find Tim napping in the fireplace, usually in dragon form, but sometimes in human form if he could be bothered to change into his clothes that had fireproofing charms on them. It was practically routine for Tim and Jason, to the point that Jason didn’t even bat an eye to find Tim, in either form, asleep in the fire.

Dick, however,  _ definitely  _ batted an eye.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason was sprawled on the rug, enjoying the heat of the flames and the contented look on Tim’s sleeping face, when a sudden shrill scream had him leaping up, wings flaring defensively. He whipped around, only to find Dick, dressed in civvies, staring at the fireplace in horror, his eyes locked on Tim. Jason looked between them a few times, then asked, “Yo, Dickiebird, the Hell’s wrong with you?”

Dick didn’t answer and Jason slowly extended one wing to block his line of sight to Tim, using the other to poke Dick’s shoulder. That jerked Dick out of his horrified silence and he lunged forward, yelping, “Tim! Are you okay?!? What are you doing?!?”

Jason caught Dick before the idiot could burn himself trying to drag Tim out of the flames and reminded, “He’s a dragon, Dick, the fire can’t hurt him. And he’s taking a nap.”

Dick struggled against Jason’s grip and Jason rolled his eyes, then grabbed the fireplace poker and gently nudged Tim awake, stating, “Up you get, Baby Bird, before you give Dick a heart attack.”

Tim whined, squirming away from the poker, and mumbled, “Nnnnn. Comfy. Lemme sleep.”

Jason snorted and Dick squirmed, then squeaked, “Is he… Is he okay?”

“I repeat: Dragon. Fire can’t hurt him.”

Dick took a shaky breath, then scrubbed his hands over his face and muttered, “Okay. Okay. This is fine.”

Tim huffed sleepily, then shifted into his dragon form, curling up tighter and draping his tail over his snout as he slipped back asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 times Tim's family used him as a heating pad + the time Tim used Jason as a heater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering:
> 
> Dick Grayson: Sylph  
> Tim Drake: Dragon  
> Jason Todd: Half phoenix, half human  
> Bruce Wayne: Human  
> Alfred Pennyworth: Vampire  
> Damian Wayne: Half demon, half human (cambion)  
> Barbara Gordon: Technopath  
> Stephanie Brown: Human  
> Cassandra Cain: Shadow demon
> 
> This chapter is just 1500 words of tiny dragon Tim getting cuddled under the guise of helping, because frankly, Tim deserves snuggles and it is my job as a fanfic writer to make sure that he gets them.

Bruce groaned as he stood up from the Batcomputer, his back screaming in pain where Bane had broken it so long ago. It was a poignant reminder that he, unlike his children, was fully human and so very breakable, and Bruce wished, not for the first time, that he had chosen a hobby that was even just a little gentler on his body. Like boxing, or maybe pro-wrestling. He rubbed at where the pain was the worst, breath hissing between his teeth, and slowly made his way up the stairs to his study. By the time he reached the top of the staircase, he was fully ready to flop down on the couch in his study and just sleep there. He thought briefly about getting a hot water bottle or heating pad for his back, but the thought of getting all the way down to the kitchen and staying on his feet long enough for the bottle to heat up, or, god forbid, making it all the way upstairs to the closet for a heating pad, was a distinctly unpleasant one and Bruce set it aside, staggering over to the couch and dropping onto it on his stomach. The pain in his back distracted him so much that he didn’t even realize he wasn’t alone until Tim was touching his shoulder and asking, “Bruce? Are you okay?”

Bruce groaned, then mumbled, “Back hurts.”

All the exhaustion that Bruce had suppressed while working came rushing in and Tim’s hand gently skimmed down Bruce’s back, asking, “Where?”

Bruce gestured to the epicenter of the pain and Tim’s hand pulled away. There was the sound of movement and Bruce took a brief moment to hope that Tim was going to grab him a heating pad or hot water bottle before setting it aside as a small weight landed on the couch beside him. Then a pair of small paws hesitantly stepped on his back and Tim ordered, “Tell me if this makes it worse, okay?”

Bruce hummed in agreement and Tim, in his dragon form, moved to stretch out along Bruce’s spine, generating heat like the world’s best heating pad. Bruce felt the tension slowly leak out of his muscles as Tim began purring softly and the pain receded as Bruce mumbled, “Thanks, Tim.”

“No problem, B.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stephanie was sprawled on the couch in Tim’s living room when he emerged from the bathroom. Her face was pinched in pain and Tim leaned down to poke her in the face, asking, “What’s up with you?”

Steph groaned, then mumbled, “Cramps. And the power’s out at my place, so I’m crashing here tonight.”

Tim hummed thoughtfully, walking into the kitchen to get the leftover chocolate pudding that Jason had made, then retrieved the painkillers in the first-aid kit and returned to the couch, dropping the bottle next to Steph’s head and stating, “I also have chocolate pudding for you if you sit up.”

Steph cracked an eye open, then sat up, taking the pudding and pills with a grateful mumble. Tim settled on the couch beside her, asking, “Anything else I can do to help?”

“Got a heating pad?”

“Not a working one. I’ve got something better, though.”

Steph raised an eyebrow and Tim wasted no time shifting, continuing, “I have it on good authority that I’m very warm and a very good heating pad alternative.”

Steph stared at him for a moment, then laughed and shook her head, stating, “If either of us were straight, I would’ve married you years ago.”

Tim snorted and moved to settle against her belly, curling up comfortably and purring when Steph began scritching behind his ear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dick groaned as he sank down on the couch in the Manor’s little-used music room, the crick in his neck aching. He knew he was supposed to be helping Alfred clean the cobwebs from the library ceiling, his sylph abilities allowing him to get them much easier than the elderly vampire could, but the thought of looking up for any reason made him cringe and he had taken to hiding around the house, hoping he could work the kink out before Alfred inevitably found him. Just as he was about to try massaging it out, however, there was the sound of movement from  _ inside  _ the piano and Dick went on high alert, wondering what or who had gotten into the house and was hiding in the piano. He carefully picked up a nearby candlestick, then crept forward, all thoughts of his aching neck pushed aside by the threat of an intruder. He could hear soft shuffling and the sound of something bumping against the piano strings, then a familiar red head popped out of the piano and blue eyes locked onto him as Tim requested, “Can you help me out real quick?”

Dick set the candlestick aside, shoulders slumping in relief, and rubbed the renewed ache in his neck as he answered, “With what?”

He peered into the piano and spotted what appeared to be a long-abandoned and half-deconstructed dragon nest, about the right size for a mouse-sized dragon, like Tim when he had first joined the family. He raised an eyebrow at Tim, who flicked his tail in the dragon equivalent of a shrug and stated, “I figured it was about time to deconstruct this nest, seeing as I’m a bit big for it now. I need you to detangle the frayed bit of that blanket from the pins here.”

Dick reached in, untangling the frayed blanket from the pins, and he and Tim made relatively quick work of deconstructing the old nest. It was only as he straightened up from over the piano that Dick was reminded of his sore neck and he groaned slightly, rubbing at the knot. Tim hesitated, then leapt up onto Dick’s shoulder and draped himself across Dick’s shoulders the way Alfred the Cat did sometimes, his warm side pressing up against the aching knot and helping loosen it. Dick let out a soft breath of relief at the lessening pain and Tim stated, “Thanks for helping me with the nest.”

Dick reached back to scratch under Tim’s chin, earning a soft purr, and answered, “No problem, little brother.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tim always hated dealing with Mr. Freeze. As a dragon, Tim had a particularly strong hatred for the cold, as well as a particularly high risk of dying from hypothermia before they could warm him back up if he were to get hit with the freeze ray. 

So of course Tim got hit with the freeze ray. It was at the end of the battle, thankfully, a final, wild shot that managed to catch Tim where he was using his dragon form’s ability to breathe fire to melt his way through the ice sealing the doorway. He yelped at the sudden icy cold enveloping his back half, the ice cracking and groaning as his naturally high temperature began melting it at the same time it was crystallizing. He squirmed and twisted, trying to get free of the ice or even just get enough purchase on the slick, icy floor to turn and breathe fire on it before the cold sapped him of that ability, but he had no escape from the ice chilling him to his very core and making him shiver. A pathetic little squeak slipped from him and he finally slumped down on the icy floor, exhausted and shivering as he curled in on himself as much as he could to preserve heat until one of the others could get him out of the ice. It only took a minute and a half for Jason to rush over and make quick work of breaking the ice, but Tim could hypothermia setting in as the ice sapped away his heat. Jason immediately scooped Tim up, tucking him inside his jacket, and Tim pushed himself into Jason’s warm chest as Jason called out to the others. Then they were moving quickly and Jason murmured, “Only a minute, Baby Bird, just hold on one more minute.”

Tim forced himself to stay awake as they slipped into the Batmobile and Jason immediately shrugged out of his jacket and pulled Tim away from his chest, making Tim whine in protest and try to squirm his way out of Jason’s hands to curl back up against his chest. Jason wrapped Tim up in his jacket like a burrito, then stated, “Let me take my chest armor off, then you can cuddle back up against me.”

Tim went limp, giving Jason the biggest, saddest eyes he could, and Jason stripped out of his chest armor and undershirt before scooping Tim up and unwrapping him from the jacket so he could snuggle against Jason’s warm chest. As soon as Tim was nestled against Jason’s chest, Jason’s wings emerged from his back and wrapped around them like a warm, feathery blanket, making Tim purr in pleasure. Jason’s thumb rubbed behind Tim’s ear gently and Tim nestled in, letting his husband’s warmth wash over him. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim's first time transforming into his dragon form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Itty bitty baby Timmy!
> 
> This ended up getting slightly angstier towards the end, so... Sorry?
> 
> Also, if anyone has questions about world-building, please feel free to message me/send me an ask on Tumblr at The-Devil-In-The-Details-666!

Dick was lounging on his bed, playing on his phone, when he heard the sound of something small moving in the vents. He looked up, brows furrowing, and then stood, walking over to the vent that the noise was coming from, kneeling down to gently pull the vent cover free. It sounded almost like there was a mouse or maybe a bat skittering around in there, which was concerning, and Dick hesitantly used the air currents to gently push the critter into view. Instead of a mouse or a bat, however, he was greeted with the sight of a teeny tiny little red dragon with itty-bitty little wings and wide blue eyes. 

_Familiar_ wide blue eyes.

Dick stared at the tiny dragon with Tim’s eyes, then, after a second, realized that the mouse-sized dragon was _trembling_ and, when Dick reached out to scoop him up, he noticed that the dragon was cold to the touch. The dragon practically melted in Dick’s hand and Dick walked over to his laundry basket, grabbing his hoodie and wrapping the tiny dragon up in it. The little dragon was completely swamped in the blue fabric, nearly swallowed up, and Dick cuddled him close, then quietly asked, “Tim?”

The dragon squeaked, then, after a beat of silence, whispered in Tim’s voice, “Hi, Dick.”

“Since when could you turn into a tiny dragon?”

Tim curled up, the hoodie fabric shifting to envelop him completely, and Dick nearly missed Tim babbling, “Since, uh, about twenty minutes ago, I think. I was really tired even though I got a ton of sleep last night and so I took a nap and when I woke up, I was… this. And I panicked and fell out of the bed and into the open vent and then couldn’t figure out how to get back out because the pillow fell and was blocking the vent and it was so _cold_ and I thought I was gonna freeze and then you pulled me out and-”

Dick cuddled his tiny dragon brother closer, then suggested, “How about I get you a mug of tea to help you warm up, then we do some research to help you turn back, okay?”

Tim’s itty-bitty little snout poked out of the hoodie and Dick adjusted the fabric so he could see Tim’s wide, shocked eyes as Tim answered, “O-Okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, Dick set a shallow bowl of steaming water in front of Tim and turned to grab the teabags from the cabinet. Before he could get them, though, he heard a tiny little splash and turned to find Tim _in_ the bowl of nearly boiling water, his chin on the rim of the bowl and his eyes closed in contentment. Dick snorted, pulling out his phone to take a picture, then moved to crouch beside the table, asking, “You comfy, Tim?”

That close, Dick could hear Tim _purring_ softly, curled up in the bowl, and Dick couldn’t resist the urge to use a single finger to pet Tim’s head, earning a louder purr as Tim pushed his tiny head up against Dick’s finger. Dick gently petted his little brother’s head, unable to even begin to control the grin on his face, and they stayed like that for awhile before Dick stood and retrieved a towel from the drawer, stating lightly, “I think it’s about time for you to get out of your, uh, bath, Timmy. We still need to look into how to help you turn back into your human form.”

Tim grumbled, but stood up, shivering until Dick scooped him up and bundled him in the towel, tucking the bundle into his hoodie pocket. Then he headed to the library and grabbed every reference book he could find for dragons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took less than an hour of reading before Dick stated, “I’ve got something.”

Tim looked up from where he was using his itty-bitty little paws to type notes on Dick’s phone, then scampered over and asked, “Oh?”

Dick scooped Tim up, setting the little dragon on his shoulder, and answered, “Yep. Congrats, Timmers, you’re going through dragon puberty. According to this, you’ll be randomly flipping between forms for a few weeks before all your hormones and everything settle down and you learn to control the shift.”

Tim nodded, tiny claws digging into Dick’s shirt, and Dick couldn’t resist the urge to turn his head and kiss his tiny little brother on the side of his tiny little head, stating, “It also says that you’ll be pretty sleepy and that you’ll need some extra help staying warm.”

“Oh.”

“Yep. Which means that I’m going to cuddle you to keep you warm.”

Tim snorted, a tiny curl of smoke rising from his nostrils as he leapt down onto the table, and Dick smirked, then pulled his hoodie on and flipped it around so the hood was in front. Tim tipped his head curiously and Dick grinned, then scooped Tim up and plopped him in the hood. Tim rolled his eyes, but curled up and yawned like a kitten, tucking his tail around himself. Dick cooed, then adjusted the hood slightly and moved to the couch to play on his phone, Tim resting against his chest. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Half an hour later, Bruce entered the library, looking concerned, and asked, “Dick, have you seen Tim anywhere?”

Tim stirred in the hood of Dick’s hoodie, then poked his tiny little head out. Bruce’s eyes widened and Dick snorted, then answered, “Apparently, when dragons go through puberty, they spend a few weeks randomly switching forms.”

Tim used his tiny little tail to flick Dick’s cheek and Dick scooped Tim up, then stood and carried his teeny tiny dragon brother over to Bruce, setting Tim on Bruce’s shoulder and then backing up to take a picture. Tim squeaked in surprise, clinging to Bruce’s sweater as he started to slide off, and Bruce quickly caught him, then asked, “Tim? Wha- Why didn’t you tell me?”

Tim curled up in Bruce’s palm, looking shy, and answered, “I didn’t know? No one told me that this would happen!”

Bruce frowned, then asked, “But… Aren’t both of your parents dragons? Surely they would have mentioned that you would experience this.”

Tim curled up tighter, seemingly trying to make himself smaller, and whispered, “I… I didn’t even know that they could shift into dragon forms? They’ve never shifted around me.”

“What?”

Dick frowned, then slowly stated, “The book said that dragon parents have to shift in order to keep their babies warm and prevent them from freezing.”

Tim squirmed, then answered, “They, uh, they had an incubator for me? Like, they had a little one for when I was still a hatchling and then they retrofitted the closet near my room to be a bigger one once I outgrew the little one?”

Bruce was looking distinctly Batman-esque and he slowly gritted out, “They did _what_?”

Tim shrunk down even further, looking distinctly miserable, and Bruce stated, “Unacceptable. Even I know that an incubator is nowhere close to an acceptable replacement for body heat long term.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty messed up, Tim.”

Tim gave a little flick of his tail and Bruce continued, “Did they at least teach you how to construct a nest?”

Tim shook his head and Bruce’s stormy expression grew stormier as he asked, “Did they teach you _anything_ about being a dragon?”

“They, uh, taught me that I’m fireproof? And… That I’ll at some point have a desire to build up a hoard? Although that was more just extrapolated from their behavior, they’ve never actually _said_ anything about it. And, uh, um, they once said something about being able to breathe fire at some point, but they weren’t very clear on when?”

He trailed off, squirming uncomfortably, and Bruce met Dick’s eyes over Tim’s head, looking _livid_. Dick picked up the reference book on dragons, then stated, “Looks like we’ll be learning about dragons together, then.”

Tim twisted to look at Dick with big blue eyes, looking immensely hopeful, and Bruce added, “I think now is as good a time as any to start on that.”

Dick nodded firmly, stepping forward to give Tim another kiss on the top of his tiny little head, and couldn’t help his grin when he heard Tim purring. Bruce tucked Tim in the breast pocket of his sweater and Dick grabbed his phone to snap another photo of Tim’s adorable little head and front paws poking out of Bruce’s pocket, then returned to the couch with the book. Bruce settled beside him and Dick couldn’t resist the urge to tuck himself under Bruce’s arm, balancing the reference book on their laps as they read together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some world-building that I couldn't figure out how to squish in here but that I feel the desperate need to share:  
> \- Dragons lay eggs  
> \- Dragon babies look human as an evolutionary survival trait. They do not gain the ability to shift into their dragon form until they are 13-14  
> \- Dragons are (usually) incredibly protective of their children. Most dragons do not leave their children alone for more than a few minutes until their children are able to shift into their dragon forms.  
> \- Dragons' dragon forms will continue to grow throughout their entire lifetimes, similar to some real-life reptiles.  
> \- Most dragons live to be several hundred years old.  
> \- Dragons, similar to cats, are actually highly social and live in close-knit packs that often include non-dragons. They are highly protective of their packs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim has toe beans. 
> 
> Dick has the overwhelming need to boop them.

It had been three years since the first time Tim had transformed into his dragon form and he had been growing like a weed. It made Dick a little sad that Tim’s dragon form was no longer mouse-sized, having grown to be about the size of a squirrel, but his increased size meant two things.

The first was that Tim’s wings had grown enough for him to be able to fly and Dick was _thrilled_ to have someone else to fly around with, even if Tim was still too small to really keep up in terms of speed. 

The second was that, as Tim got bigger, Dick was able to notice things about his brother that were previously too small for him to see. 

Like Tim’s little toe beans.

Because Timothy Jackson Drake, Dick’s adorable little dragon brother, had _toe beans_.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dick discovered Tim’s toe beans by accident. He and Tim had been watching a movie, Tim in his dragon form and draped across the back of the couch like a cat, when Tim had stretched out his front legs and Dick noticed the tiny little black dots on the pads of his paws. Before he could even process the motion, Dick had reached out to gently tug Tim closer and peer at his paw, asking, “What do you have on your…”

Tim tipped his head curiously as Dick’s eyes widened in delight, then squeaked as Dick swept him into his arms, cradling Tim like a baby as he whispered, “Tim. Timmy. Why didn’t you tell me you have _toe beans_?”

Tim stared up at Dick and Dick gently took one of Tim’s tiny little paws, giving the toe beans a gentle squish as Tim sighed, “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you I had paw pads, you jerk.”

Dick kissed Tim’s head, then stated, “Well, I have three years of toe bean booping to make up for now.”

He gave Tim’s toe beans another gentle squeeze, trying to hide the overwhelming glee he felt, and Tim rolled his eyes, but said nothing, allowing Dick to squeeze and squish and boop his toe beans to his heart’s content. Dick took the opportunity, switching between paws and tuning out the movie to focus on his little brother’s toe beans. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dick wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was finally pulled out of his focus on Tim’s toe beans by Bruce leaning over the back of the couch and asking, “What are you doing, chum?”

Tim groaned dramatically, then answered, “Dick realized that I have paw pads and is now losing his mind.”

Dick stuck his tongue out at Tim, then turned to Bruce, no doubt looking slightly manic, and whispered, “He has _toe beans_ , Bruce. _Toe. Beans._ Look at them! Look at how cute his little toe beans are!”

Bruce leaned forward to look with an indulgent, amused look, and Tim sighed, repeating, “Like I said, losing his mind.”

Dick held up one of Tim’s little paws with a reverent look, giving it a gentle squish, and Bruce’s mouth twitched like he was trying not to laugh as he reached out with one finger and gently booped Tim’s toe beans, teasing, “They are rather cute. Like kitten paws.”

“I hate you both. This is humiliating.”

Dick pressed a gentle kiss to Tim’s paw in response and was entirely unsurprised when Tim extended his tiny little claws in an empty threat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is utterly vital to me that you all know that Tim's dragon form has toe beans. 
> 
> Also, I did research for this chapter. Which is a fancy way of saying that I watched videos of people booping their cats’ toe beans.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Janet Drake utterly failed to care for their son appropriately. 
> 
> Bruce steps up to the plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set a few weeks after Chapter 3, after Tim learns how to control his shifts and Bruce lightly blackmails the Drakes into giving him guardianship of Tim.

Bruce understood that he was a man prone to violence. But watching Tim, his sweet, precious son, who had come into Bruce’s life and saved Bruce from himself, admit that his parents, who were supposed to love and protect him, had abandoned him to an _incubator_ rather than stay home and care for him or even take him in their trips, made Bruce want desperately to find the Drakes and beat some sense into them. But instead, he tucked Tim, so small and vulnerable and scared, into the breast pocket of his sweater and settled on the couch with Dick to research just how to care for his tiny dragon son. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he accompanied Tim to Drake Manor so Tim could get what he needed while he stayed with Bruce, Bruce decided he wanted to see the incubator that Tim had mentioned. Tim squirmed at the mention of it, but acquiesced, leading Bruce to a wooden door two doors down from Tim’s bedroom. Bruce couldn’t help but notice the lock on the _outside_ of the door, which was, to say the least, _alarming_ , but Bruce set the thought aside as Tim opened the door. Bruce anticipated to find some form of rudimentary nest inside the incubator, a pile of blankets, even. 

There wasn’t one. 

Instead, there was a single gray bed sheet, a twin size if Bruce had to guess, and a thin pillow, laying on the hardwood floor. No mattress, no pallet, not even so much as a rug. Just the hardwood floor. Bruce took the sight in, then, tension no doubt evident in his voice, asked, “Did you move everything out for some reason?”

Tim squirmed, but finally answered, “N-No? I- I’m not allowed to have anything else in here?”

“What?”

“Mother has a camera in here and she made it clear that if at any point she checks and sees anything more than this in here, I wouldn’t be allowed to use it anymore.”

Bruce clenched his fists and Tim shifted from foot to foot, adding, “It’s not like there’s any point to bringing anything extra in anyway. It only turns on for twenty minutes a day now that I’m old enough to take care of myself.”

Bruce took a deep, deep breath at that revelation, _fury_ burning in his veins, and, rather than give into his urge to fly to Argentina or Egypt or wherever the Drakes were so he could beat them into a pulp, Bruce turned to Tim and pulled him into a hug that would make Dick proud. Tim squeaked in surprise, then melted against Bruce, practically burrowing into the warmth and touch that his childhood had lacked. Bruce tucked Tim’s head under his chin, holding his son close, and they stood like that for a while until Bruce finally managed to convince himself to let go of Tim so Tim could get his things. Finally, Tim pulled back and stated, “I should, uh, get my stuff together.”

Bruce forced himself to let go of Tim, leaving just his hand on Tim’s shoulder and answering, “Of course. Do you need any help?”

Tim shook his head and Bruce nodded, giving Tim’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, and Tim slipped out of the pathetic excuse for an incubator. Bruce stepped out, closing the door, and closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths to get his rage under control. Once he had done so, Bruce moved to stand outside Tim’s room, watching Tim pack his things into a grey duffel bag. His room was painfully empty, like a showroom, and it only took Tim about ten minutes to pack everything he wanted into the bag. Bruce made a mental note to find out what kinds of nesting materials Tim preferred and buy them in bulk, then, as Tim slung the bag over his shoulder, asked, “Got everything?”

Tim nodded and they left Drake Manor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they returned to Wayne Manor, Tim slipped away to unpack in his room and Bruce wasted no time before heading to his study to do some research into popular nesting materials for dragons. He would, of course, ask Tim about his preferences, but, given how little Tim knew about being a dragon, Bruce figured it wouldn’t hurt to get samples of the popular nesting materials for Tim to try.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week later, Tim was laying on the couch, bundled up in a heated blanket that Bruce had gotten for him with his head in Dick’s lap as they watched tv, when the doorbell rang. Tim had, unsurprisingly, been totally lost on what sort of nesting materials he wanted, so Bruce had ordered the ‘Test Nest’ box from a company that specialized in helping non-dragons who were raising dragons. Bruce quickly retrieved the box, carrying it into the living room, and Tim twisted to look at it curiously, asking, “What’s that?”

Bruce set the box on the coffee table, opening it up, and answered, “Well, since you weren’t sure what kind of nesting materials you liked, I got this. It has samples of the 25 most popular nesting materials, as well as various informational and instructional booklets on nest building.”

Tim blinked, looking stunned, and Bruce had a split second to wonder if he had overstepped a boundary before Tim was squirming out of his blanket bundle and sitting up, asking, “You- Really?”

His voice was heartbreakingly surprised and hopeful and Bruce pushed the box towards him gently, answering, “Of course, Tim.”

Tim scooted forward to peer into the box, then asked, “Should I go through it now?”

“If you want, sure. If you’d prefer to wait and do it in private, that’s okay too.”

Tim hesitated for another second, then began unloading the box, which contained three smallish booklets and a pamphlet, what appeared to be a notepad of some sort, and 25 washcloth-sized pieces of fabric, each with an information tag pinned to them. Tim studied the notepad curiously, then snorted and stated, “This is pretty useful.”

He showed the card to Bruce, revealing what appeared to be a rating system to help Tim figure out which material or materials he liked the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days after the box arrived, Tim poked his head into Bruce’s study, looking nervous, and stated, “I, uh, I think I figured out which ones I like the best.”

Bruce gestured for Tim to enter and Tim moved to sit in the chair across from Bruce, who stated, “I’m glad to hear it. If you’d like, we can order them from the same company that I got the box from. Or I found a nesting specialty shop in Metropolis that we could go to this weekend. Or both, if that’s something you’d be interested in.”

Tim blinked, nibbling at his lower lip, and finally answered, “I, uh, I’d like to try both, if that’s okay?”

“Of course. Want to go ahead and place the order now?”

Tim nodded and Bruce picked up his laptop, walking over to the couch and sitting down. Tim moved to sit beside him, hesitantly curling against Bruce’s side, and Bruce wrapped his arm around Tim’s shoulders as they put together Tim’s order. Just before Bruce placed it, however, Alfred knocked at the door and called them for dinner. Bruce gently shooed Tim off to go wash up, then, once Tim was gone, doubled the order and placed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce just wants to give his tiny dragon son the love and care that he deserves, dammit!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason goes to Ethiopia thinking he's human.
> 
> He comes back less sure of that fact.

Jason died by fire. Joker had beaten him within an inch of his life with that damned crowbar, but in the end, it was the fire from the bomb that killed Jason, that took Bruce’s son away. And Bruce knew that next to nothing could come back from a fire death, especially not a regular human like Jason. So he clutched Jason’s body close, breaths stuttering in his chest as he sobbed. Jason’s body was still warm, not even cold yet, and all Bruce could think about was how if he had gotten there just a minute sooner, he could have saved his son, could have prevented…

Jason’s body was getting warmer. 

Jason’s body was getting _alarmingly_ warm. 

Bruce forced himself to release Jason’s body, scrambling back just in time as Jason’s body burst into flames. Bruce blinked as he watched his son’s body char and blacken, feeling horror and bile rise up in his throat at the thought that Joker had done something to his son to make sure that Bruce never got closure. Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, the flames were gone and Jason jackknifed into a sitting position, the ashes crumbling away as he coughed. Bruce reached out, hand shaking, and ever-so-carefully cradled Jason’s cheek in his hand, wondering distantly if he was having a psychotic break and hallucinating. Jason’s eyes flew open and he stared at Bruce, then, voice raspy, asked, “B? Wha- How- What happened?”

Bruce just clutched Jason to his chest, sobbing, and Jason squirmed slightly, then, voice sounding vaguely panicked, asked, “B? What happened? Where’s the Joker?”

Bruce took several deep breaths, clinging to Jason, and answered, “He- He got away. But that’s not what’s important right now. You’re _alive_ , Jason.”

Jason squirmed again, then twisted in Bruce’s grip to look at the remains of the warehouse. Then he managed to wiggle his way out of Bruce’s grip entirely, standing on shaky legs and looking down at himself.

“I- I don’t understand.”

Bruce stood, itching to drag Jason in for another hug, and Jason felt his ribs that had been caved in just minutes prior, mumbling, “I- I shouldn’t- How am I… This doesn’t make any sense. Willis wasn’t… And Sheila said she was human…”

Jason gave a frustrated little noise and Bruce gave in to the urge to drag him into another hug, murmuring, “We’ll figure it out, Jay-lad, I promise.”

Jason curled into Bruce’s hold and Bruce closed his eyes, taking a minute to just hold Jason close.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took 13 hours for the Batplane to get from Ethiopia back to Gotham and Bruce kept Jason in his sight for almost the whole time, only letting Jason out of his sight for a few minutes to use the bathroom. He was still reeling from nearly losing Jason, from nearly losing _his son_ , and he was terrified that he was going to glance away and look back to find that it had been some sort of dream or hallucination. Jason was thankfully okay with it, clearly and understandably rattled by his death and resurrection, and Bruce made a mental note to keep his bedroom door open in case Jason had a nightmare that night. 

When they arrived back in the Cave, Jason wasted no time retreating to the locker room to shower and wash all the ashes off of himself. His uniform, being kevlar, had mostly survived the blaze, which Bruce was thankful for, but it was in bad condition from the beating Jason had gotten and Bruce made a mental note to get a new one. Jason spent the bare minimum amount of time in the shower, then emerged into the Cave proper in sweatpants and a hoodie. Bruce looked him over, then paused and slowly reached out, touching Jason’s forelock.

It was snow white.

Jason looked up at Bruce, puzzled, and Bruce gently pulled him into a tight hug, closing his eyes and pressing his face into Jason’s still-wet curls. Jason melted into Bruce’s hold, clinging close, and Bruce gently petted the back of Jason’s head, holding him like he would disappear if Bruce let go. Finally, Jason pulled back, wiping his face with his sleeve, and Bruce quietly suggested, “You should go let Alfred know you’re okay.”

Jason nodded, heading up the stairs, and Bruce sank into the chair in front of the Batcomputer, mind reeling.

Death by fire. Burning to ashes and then coming back unharmed. The white forelock.

Which of Jason’s parents was a damn _phoenix_?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days after Ethiopia, Jason approached Bruce in the Cave as Bruce was getting ready for patrol and quietly stated, “I- I don’t want to be Robin again.”

Bruce paused in his gear check, then turned to look at Jason. Jason was dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, looking small and vulnerable and so, so scared, and Bruce reached out to pull his son into a tight hug, answering, “That’s okay. You don’t have to be Robin. If you want to retire from being a vigilante entirely, that’s okay. You’re still my son one way or another.”

Jason let out a sob, then practically _melted_ against Bruce’s chest, clinging to him as he confessed his fears that Bruce only wanted him as Robin. The confession made Bruce’s chest hurt with the knowledge that he had made his son feel that way and he ran his fingers through Jason’s hair gently as Jason cried, murmuring, “I’m so sorry, Jay-lad. I’m so sorry.”

Finally, Jason pulled back, scrubbing at his face with his sleeve, and took a deep breath, stating, “I think- I think I want to make a new identity. Not now, not for a while, but I don’t- I _can’t_ be Robin. Not- Not after everything.”

Bruce reached out to set his hand on Jason’s shoulder, ducking slightly so he could meet Jason’s eyes, and stated, “Then I will support you in your new hero identity, too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason mostly stayed in the Manor after Ethiopia, doing his classes online and, Bruce suspected, designing his new hero identity. He was still rattled by what happened, understandably, and Bruce didn’t push him, though he did suggest seeing one of the Justice League’s therapists. Jason had also taken to sprawling out in front of the lit fireplace any time he was relaxing with Bruce, which prompted Bruce to pull out the old fur rug that had been put in the attic at some point and place it in front of the fireplace so Jason had somewhere comfortable to sprawl. Jason had taken one look at the plush, fluffy rug and promptly starfished out on it, facedown. Then he propped himself up on his elbows, nose twitching, and sneezed, once, twice, three times.

On the third sneeze, a pair of vibrant red-orange-gold wings erupted from Jason’s back, tearing his shirt and spilling out over the carpet. Jason and Bruce both froze, staring at Jason’s new wings, and Jason finally whispered, “What the fuck?”

Bruce was too baffled to even scold him for his language.


End file.
